


Mad as a Hatter, Love True as a Kiss

by UisceOneLove



Series: Bucky Barnes Bingo 2021 [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Remembers, Bucky Just Wants His Boyfriend Back, Crossover Pairings, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Established Relationship, F/F, Good Boyfriend Bucky Barnes, Happy Ending, M/M, Possessive Bucky Barnes, Possessive Mad Hatter | Jefferson, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Teacher Steve Rogers, Temporary Amnesia, Tony Stark Hates Magic, True Love's Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-24 06:14:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30067911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UisceOneLove/pseuds/UisceOneLove
Summary: Seventy-two hours ago, Steve kissed Bucky goodbye before leaving their apartment in Avengers Tower for a mission.Forty-eight hours ago, he had a front-row seat, courtesy of their couch and JARVIS playing the news coverage on Tony's Stark's plasma screen, as the Avengers battled Morgan le Fay somewhere in Maine.Twenty-four hours ago, the battle won against le Fay, Bucky lied in bed with Steve Facetiming him from the hotel Tony insisted they stay at before heading back.Now, Bucky was riding one of Steve's new motorcycles down a Maine highway surrounded by spruce and pine trees, with one thing on his mind.
Relationships: Background Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan - Relationship, Background Red Riding Hood | Ruby/Natasha Romanov, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Mad Hatter | Jefferson/Steve Rogers
Series: Bucky Barnes Bingo 2021 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2204766
Kudos: 15





	Mad as a Hatter, Love True as a Kiss

**Author's Note:**

> Bucky Barnes Bingo, Square: B1, "Crossover"  
> STB Bingo, Square: "Pottery Wheel"
> 
> We all know I had to do this as soon as I saw that bingo square.
> 
> I feel bad that Thor's not in this, but I imagined him being on Asgard with Loki. I'm sure he'd forgive me.

Seventy-two hours ago, Steve kissed Bucky goodbye before leaving their apartment in Avengers Tower for a mission. 

Bucky and Sam had their own assignment from the new and improved SHIELD, so they would both be radio silent until they were finished. 

Bucky returned home that night, with no news from Steve, and went to bed.

Forty-eight hours ago, he had a front-row seat, courtesy of their couch and JARVIS playing the news coverage on Tony's Stark's plasma screen, as the Avengers battled Morgan le Fay somewhere in Maine. 

"Kick her ass, babe," Bucky said to the screen, mouth full of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Coco Puffs, as Captain America led the assault against the sorceress. 

(There was no such thing as witches and wizards, no matter what stupid things Sam Wilson had to say.)

It was hard sometimes, to not constantly be fighting at Steve's side, but he wasn't ready to be an Avenger himself. He had to make do with being on the sidelines until then. 

Twenty-four hours ago, the battle won against le Fay, Bucky lied in bed with Steve Facetiming him from the hotel Tony insisted they stay at before heading back. 

"Bed's getting pretty lonely without you, Stevie," Bucky sang, grinning when it got him an eyeroll from the blond. 

"I'm sorry," Steve replied, not at all sorry, and tiredly scrubbed a hand through his hair.

"I'll just have you make it up to me tomorrow, punk." 

Steve snorted, half of a smile popping up. "You know I will. If only so you'll stop your whining."

Bucky adjusted, rolling onto his metal elbow to sit up. "Everything go okay?" 

"About as well as one could expect." 

"Stark complain about how magic's not supposed to be real?" Bucky asked with a smirk.

"Big time," Steve nodded. "Completely blames Stange for it."

" _ Was _ it Strange's fault?"

"Not at all." 

"Think Doctor Strange would let us borrow his cape?" 

Steve gave him an unimpressed look. "We are not trying to borrow his sentient cape for you to pretend you're Gandalf, Bucky." 

"But think of how awesome I would look," Bucky pressed. "You're still a good Bilbo, you know."

"I'm too big to be a hobbit," Steve sighed, exasperated, "and Bilbo got corrupted by the ring by the ring like everyone else. He never destroyed it." 

Bucky shrugged. "Fine. Do you want to be Frodo? Thor's friend Darcy kept going on about something called shipping and how Frodo and Sam were like you and me. I got very lost and I am not sure she clarified anything enough." 

"Thor's friends, even the human ones, are unique," Steve nodded, his face looking a lot like the one Bucky made when the woman was talking. 

"Yeah," Bucky sighed, "but now we're texting buddies so it's all good."

Steve looked resigned. "I'm going to regret introducing you to people, aren't I?"

"Yep," Bucky grinned, remorseless. 

Now, Bucky was riding one of Steve's new motorcycles down a Maine highway surrounded by spruce and pine trees, with one thing on his mind.

_ Where the hell is my boyfriend? _

Bucky followed the GPS ping that Natasha had sent with a short text:  _ Steve's missing. _

He didn't know how many miles it took, but there was one more bend and straight ahead was the quinjet and the Avengers. Nearby were scorch marks and a few damaged trees.

A few dozen feet through the trees was something that used to be Steve's favorite bike.

Bucky braked hard and veered to stop next to the jet. He kicked out the stand with more force than required and tugged off his helmet to glare at the team. "How the hell did you lose Captain America?" he demanded in a growl.

"Calm down, Cujo," Tony said as he came down the jet's ramp, sans Iron Man helmet, "it's not like we put him in a magician's box and made him disappear." 

Natasha was the one to step toward Bucky from where Bruce and Clint were hunched over some kind of scanner in the middle of the road. "Cap left the hotel early this morning. He said he wanted a drive before we came home. Shortly after, Fury called with news that Morgan le Fay escaped."

"Our guess is that Ms. Hocus Pocus came across him and decided to have a one-on-one," Tony added, joining the group. 

Bucky eyed each one of them before looking at their surroundings again. "Then where are they now?"

"That's where the problem lies," Bruce grimaced before gesturing in front of them. "Steve's tracker went offline right here. We can't find either of them. And then there's the other problem."

Bucky's already low patience was running even thinner now. "Stop running fucking circles and tell me what the hell the problem is, apart from Steve being missing." 

Natasha turned to Clint and nodded. "Show him." 

"Sure," Clint muttered, unsheathing his bow and stepping back, "it's not like I have a limited supply of my trick arrows. Not like this is a waste when we could throw a branch or rock or something." 

The archer pulled one of his normal steel-tipped arrowheads out from his quiver and took aim, releasing it seamlessly into the air. 

Except instead of soaring over the empty road, it barely made it a few feet from where the Avengers had been standing before it made contact with seemingly nothing and evaporated. 

Bucky's metal arm clenched with unease. "Did le Fay do this?" 

"We aren't sure," Bruce answered with a frown. "The readings only tell us there's something there on a different frequency. We can't cross it." 

"So something on the other side of this had to have dragged Steve through," Bucky concluded. The Avengers met him with grim expressions of their own. Even Tony's eyes looked tight with anger. 

"We're getting him back, Barnes," the man said, "one way or another." 

They all jerked back when the wall-barrier-whatever it was in front of them started to shimmer, everyone readying themselves for an attack. It was like a translucent curtain parting and they were suddenly standing across from two very intense-looking women. 

"That won't be necessary," the brunette declared, her voice riddled with authority. She held herself like someone of status,  _ regal _ popping into Bucky's head randomly.

The woman next to her had long, wavy blonde hair and a red leather jacket, gun in hand. But her eyes were zeroed in on Bucky, like she knew who he was, and not in a  _ That's the Winter Soldier _ way. 

"Jefferson?" she said, confused. Everyone turned to look at Bucky, including the woman's partner, who was now  _ also _ looking at him in that strange way. 

"Who the hell is Jefferson?" he responded, hand gripping the handle of his own gun tightly. 

"Uncanny," the brunette murmured.

"Would someone care to fill us in?" Tony asked, visor flipping up.

"You're Tony Stark," the blonde blurted, taking a wide-eyed look at the rest of them. "You're...wait, I've seen articles about all of you. The Avengers." 

"Oh good," Clint said, his arrow still trained on the women, "at least someone here knows who the others are." 

The blonde lowered her gun, making it clear she was turning the safety on before she slowly stuck it into her holster. "Okay," she said, "looks like another interesting situation." 

The others were reluctant to follow her lead but Bucky kept his gun trained on her. "Where's Captain America?" he asked her, voice blank. 

The brunette, a special kind of exasperated, shoved her hands into the pockets of her peacoat and started walking away. "We can show you exactly where your friend is," she said over her shoulder. 

"So we're going to just follow them into the unknown?" Clint asked, looking around.

"I'll trust you if you trust me, buddy," the blonde told Bucky, "your friend isn't hurt. But we've got questions."

"As do we," Natasha said, stepping up to Bucky. "We'll get in and get out. There's no other option, James." 

Tony, looking as happy about this as Bucky, followed their friends. His suit was gone save for one of the gauntlets. "The sooner we find him, the sooner we can get you two back in your Honeymoon Phase." 

Bucky met Natasha's eyes, saw the certainty there, and lowered his gun. He stalked down the road, aware of the blonde still watching him as they passed a sign that stated Welcome to Storybrooke.

* * *

This was not good.

Bucky's arm whirred in protest from how hard he was clenching his fist.

"Oh, shit," Tony commented.

"This was not what I was expecting," Clint agreed, unable to stop nodding his head. Bruce couldn't stop gaping while Natasha's face was a blank as ever, only the press of her lips in a thin line the giveaway that she was thinking the same thing they were.

For Bucky, it was like falling into his slowly-recovered memories; like an old film projector was up there in his brain loading a film, and here it was, Steve Rogers weighing ninety-five pounds and coming up to Bucky's chest. Except Steve's clothes were modern, and he was standing on the blacktop of a school playground, laughing away with a sweet-looking woman that had a dark pixie-cut. 

"What did you do to him?" Bucky didn't feel himself take a step towards the women but he felt Natasha pulling him back. The brunette had her hands up in front of her looking ready to do something herself. 

The blonde stepped up, placating. "We had to, all right? It was the only way to help him recover while we figured things out."

"So you, what, took the formula from him?" Bruce asked curiously.

"No, I did it," the brunette volunteered, wiggling her fingers. There were violet spark and smoke that dripped from the action that made Bucky wish even more for his old life. 

"Great," Tony said flatly, "more magic." 

"Look," the blonde continued, keeping her eyes on Bucky, "we found him outside the barrier, barely conscious and already looking like that. Regina sensed a spell on him, so she's had her own going while we waited for Jefferson or someone else to figure out a fix."

"We are also in the middle of a time problem," the brunette, Regina, added unhappily. "We have a White Rabbit on the loose somewhere and it's causing time to flow a lot faster here until we do." 

"Do we even want to know what kind of town this is?" Tony asked the group.

Clint nodded, "Oh yeah, I want to know."

"I promise that Steve is safe. Snow has been by his side and the kids love him as their art teacher." 

Steve's teaching art? Bucky's eyes fell back on him, the easy smile and the way Steve didn't even look like he was carrying the world on his shoulders. It's the way Bucky had wanted things to be. Steve's great with kids, why wouldn't he be a good art teacher?

"If we're going to have this long discussion of our backgrounds, then might I suggest we move it somewhere else, Emma?" Regina proposed. "We can have a table at Granny's. No one will disturb us unless it's Savior business." 

"Granny's? Would this happen to be a place I can get food?" Tony asked. "Because I am all for eating if we're about to have a long talk. Sound good to everyone else?" 

"We are low on options," Natasha replied evenly, "we might as well blend in."

"Please let there be pancakes," Clint said, falling into step with the others. Bucky took one last look over at Steve before he went with them, fighting every instinct that told him to grab Steve and make a run for it. 

Granny's was, like Tony had hoped, an establishment that provided sustenance. A little diner that seemed to have a constant flow of regulars. Regina and Emma were greeted by every single person they passed, while their group was regarded with curiosity but not bothered. The two women led them to the table furthest from the door and let everyone crowd around it. 

"Hey Red?" Emma called out. A young woman with red streaks looked up from the counter. "Can we get a round of coffee and some menus?"

"Sure thing, Swan," the woman nodded. They wait in various levels of patience while they were brought mugs and had them filled. Natasha was the only one of their team who met Red's eye and what Bucky saw there was filed away for later.

Clint had the indecency of nudging her, a smirk on his face, as Red turned away. 

"Thank you, Red," Emma said politely.

"No problem, Swan," she replied, her eyes pointedly on Nat as she walked off. 

"Another thing I did not expect," Tony informed the table, staring at Nat, who just shrugged and leaned back in her seat while shoving the sugar over to Clint.

"Okay," Emma said, ignoring the comment, "so you're probably not going to believe what we have to say--"

Clint snorted into his coffee. "Trust me, we've been through enough crazy shit that we just might believe you."

"If anyone can, I guess it'd be The Avengers," Emma mused with a frown. 

"Just say it, and plainly," Bucky ordered. He had no time to let his own curiosities get ahead of him. The truth and what it meant for Steve was all he was after. 

"It's magic," Regina answered, raising a perfectly sculpted brow at him. "Is that plain enough for you?"

"We might need a little more," Bruce said with a tentative smile. "Did you create a pocket dimension and that's why no one can enter it?"

"Something like that," Regina replied, amused. "Years ago, I used a curse. Brought all of us here. Now we actually enjoy it."

Emma's face explicitly said that wasn't the entirety of it but Bucky didn't care. "Everyone here is from a storybook or fairytale," she added. 

"You mean Cinderella and Aladdin?" Tony asked, looking very much like he did not want to be there anymore.

"Yes," the women nodded. 

Natasha's gaze moved around and landed on Red, her lips turning up into a smirk. "Little Red Riding Hood," she guessed. Red met her gaze with a smirk of her own, as if she heard.

"The barrier serves more as a protector now, instead of keeping people in," Regina said, pristine nails in a plum shade of purple tapping against her coffee.

"Then who are you two?" Bucky asked.

Regina looked pleased at finally being asked. "Regina Mills. Formerly, and unfondly, referred to as The Evil Queen." 

"Which one?" Clint and Bruce asked.

"Snow White's," Emma answered for her, "who happens to be my mom and is the one watching over Captain America." 

"Am I the only one not surprised by that development?" Tony asked, looking at his team.

"You said she put one of her spells on Steve," Bucky said with a nod at the former queen, "why?"

Emma sighed. "When Jefferson called us to the border last time, it was to show us Steve and a woman on the ground. Steve was already regressed to that size and woke up without his memories, so we thought it was safer to give him a light dose of what the curse used to do, so that he'd fit in and be safe until someone came looking or we got the woman to talk."

"Morgan le Fay, is her name," Tony supplied.

Regina and Emma shared a look of surprise. 

"Well," Regina said, "that would explain how she was able to do what she did and lure him here. We've had past experiences with Merlin and the Knight of the Round Table." 

Tony opened his mouth, then closed it right back up. "I feel like someone is really fucking with me today." 

"Are we permitted to see her?" Natasha asked Emma.

The blonde nodded, "Sure. I've got her in a special cell at the station. Feel free to take a crack at her."

"The sooner we talk to her, the sooner we can fix Lil' Cap and go home," Tony stated, starting to rise. 

"Hold it."

Tony groaned and slumped back into his chair. "What now, Barnes?"

Bucky leaned forward, his eyes on their guides. "Both of you've given me a look like you know me. You called me Jefferson, and have brought him up more than once."

"Because you look like him," Emma said. "It's kind of creepy."

"It also explains why Steve was so quick to grow attached to him," Regina added. Bucky stiffened and felt a surge of hot jealousy burn through him. Which was stupid, because he's the one Steve's dating. 

"Where is he? I want to meet Jefferson."

"I, for one, am not about to watch you stake your claim," Tony shook his head. He glared when Clint flicked a creamer packet right at his forehead.

"Well I'm in for seeing this doppelganger that Steve's shacking up with," the archer input. 

"Fine," Tony said, "then whoever wants to see Bucky's unknown twin can stick around. Everyone else can come and speak to our recent bad woman with me." 

"I think I'm going to stay here," Natasha said.

Bucky rolled his eyes. "Make sure you two know how much biting is allowed." 

Natasha grinned, her teeth on full display. "Don't kink shame me, Barnes."

* * *

Clint let out a low whistle as they stood in front of a large mansion with Regina. "Well, we know you two don't have the same taste outside of pugnacious blonds." 

Bucky stuck his foot out when Clint stepped forward, not at all feeling childish when it sent the archer sprawling on the pavement. 

"Ow!"

If only Bruce had come alone. He liked Banner, the guy knew when talking wasn't required. 

"Is he home?" Bucky asked the sorceress. 

Regina eyed Clint on the ground like he was a bug before she stepped over him. "One way to find out. He's typically a recluse, so I would be surprised if he wasn't." 

Clint scrambled to his feet behind them as the brunette rang the doorbell. 

"I'm gonna get you back for that, Bucko," he warned Bucky, who was too wound up to care at the moment. 

When the door opened, Bucky felt like he was looking at a funhouse mirror from the carnival he and Steve used to take Rebecca to. Emma was right; they were nearly identical in the face, but Bucky felt any other matches ended there.

This Jefferson fella's hair was gelled wildly while Bucky lost the desire to slick his back since cutting it to something acceptably short. The clothes were ostentatious with a lot of paisleys that Bucky could never afford or dream of being caught dead in. And there was something manic about the man's eyes that made Bucky want to get his gun out. 

There was a clicking behind him, and Bucky could only glare as Clint lowered his phone. "What? The others need to see this crazy shit," he defended, thumb tapping on the screen to send off the photo. 

But what had Bucky even more off-kilter was that the guy didn't even look like he was surprised to see them. "You're late," Jefferson said disapprovingly.

"We just found out about you," Bucky replied neutrally.

"It took you a day to look for him, Jefferson corrected, "a day for you, a month for him." 

Jefferson turned away, leaving the door open for them. "And the tea was starting to cool."

Clint and Bucky looked at Regina, who was rolling her eyes. "Is he for real?" Clint asked.

"Don't underestimate Jefferson," was all she said as she stepped inside. 

The inside of the house mostly matched what the outside made one expect; the walls were the same stark white and the decor was like something that an earlier Stark might have chosen to use. There were plants and children's toys that broke the image, though, and the further they went in, Bucky noticed some paintings that were too similar in style to the ones that he'd come home to before the war.

"Steve made these," Bucky said, his throat constricting as he fought back a wave of intense emotion. 

"What?" Clint narrowed his eyes and leaned in closer to one of them for a better look. "Oh, yeah, it totally is." 

"Steve likes to practice with Grace after school." Jefferson brought them into a spacious sitting room, a large plush couch waiting in front of a fireplace and a grand piano. Bucky's fingers itched to brush along the ivory keys, an old tune in his head that his mama used to play for him and Rebecca. 

"Rebecca?" Clint made himself at home on the couch.

Jefferson's smile was crooked and fond. "My daughter."

Bucky stayed by the piano while Regina made her home at the fireplace. Jefferson poured them each a cup of tea, though Regina made a point of looking into it before looking back up at the man. 

The smile was gone, something more guarded in place when he met her eyes. "It would be rude of me to add anything when we have important guests, Regina," Jefferson said.

"And just when I was beginning to think we were becoming friends again," she said mildly, but took a sip. 

"Befriending Emma and Henry does not make us even yet." 

"Evil Queen wasn't just a Disney villain moniker, was it?" Clint asked.

"All in the past," Regina told him. 

Jefferson didn't believe it, and Bucky wasn't all too sure if he should either. 

Bucky set his tea on top of the piano. "How did you know we were coming?"

Jefferson smiled patronizingly at Bucky. "Because Steve is here, and he does not stray far from you if he can help it. No one leaves family behind, do they?" 

Bucky could feel himself bristle. "How would you know  _ that _ ?" he pressed further. 

"I am the Hatter," Jefferson stated, "which means I know everything. I observe. I fix. I curate. I am you, in another world, one of many smushed together and ready to paint a beautiful picture."

Clint slurped from his tea and nodded. "Oh, yeah, we know about the multiverse theory. Stark's really missing out on this, isn't he, Bucky?" 

Between himself and Steve, Bucky had been the fan of science-fiction and fantasy. The idea of a multiverse was one of the few times he couldn't pretend to tune out Stark when he went on talking. But there was the principle, the  _ idea _ of there being more than one version of himself out there.

And then there was standing in the same room with it. 

How many universes did there have to be where Bucky didn't have his head screwed on right? Or have a family? How many did he get to stay with Steve or come back to him?

Or, he thought darkly, how many were there where Bucky succeeded in killing the love of his life? 

Bucky stepped forward, coming to understand all of the times when Steve said his smirk was irritating. He wanted to break Jefferson's jaw so that it would be too wired for him to make much of any expression with it. "He's coming back with me." 

Jefferson's smirk didn't waver as he replied with one simple word: "No."

Bucky and Clint stilled. Even Regina looked startled. "Jefferson," she said sternly, laughing nervously, "we can't keep him. He doesn't belong here." 

"We didn't belong here," Jefferson pointed out, a harsh look cut in her direction, "and yet we've all made peace with it."  _ With you _ , was heavily implied enough for Bucky and Clint to hear it. 

"We appreciate all you've done, looking out for Cap," Clint said as he stood, prepared for an escalation, "but we're here for him and we're taking him back."

Jefferson pointed a finger at Bucky, his eyes hard glints of ice. "You didn't take care of him," he told Bucky, his words barbed to cut viciously, "he was yours and you didn't stay by his side. I'm keeping him. I know how to take better care of him than you did." 

Bucky flinched, feeling Clint touch his shoulder as if to keep him from backing away. "I--"

"Steve is not some pet or toy you can just claim," Clint said, glaring at Jefferson. "If we're all in these universes then where's  _ your _ Steve, huh? Go get him."

Pain flashed in Jefferson's face. "My Steve was named Alice. And I lost her because I wasn't careful. But I will be with Steve. We will have our second chance." 

"Jefferson," Regina tried again, a warning in her voice this time.

"Being with the Savior doesn't give you a free pass," Jefferson told her. "You've given yourself many extra chances, Regina. Now I'm taking the one you wouldn't give me." 

"We're doing this the hard way, then," Clint replied, reaching for his bow.

"Clint--" Bucky barked, everyone freezing when they heard the front door.

"Daddy!" A voice rang out, a laughter following it that Bucky instantly knew.

"I'll be right there, Grace," Jefferson called, brows raised at Clint. "Do you want to try that now?"

Clint lowered his arm but didn't stop glaring. 

"We should go," Regina said thinly, looking unhappy herself. 

"You should," Jefferson agreed, "we have games to play." 

"We'll be back for him, Bucky," Clint promised, pressing down on Bucky's human shoulder to get his feet to move. Bucky felt sick, felt like Jefferson was winning, and turned away only because he couldn't risk a child getting caught in the middle. 

Regina stalked ahead of them, flicking her hand to make the door open for her so she wouldn't have to stop. As he and Clint reached the foyer, he searched the passing entryways until he saw Steve.

To his right was a view into the kitchen. Steve was there, standing at the counter with a little girl, laughing as they split a plate of snacks.

It was like watching Steve with Rebecca.

Bucky had to look away and keep his feet moving until he was outside. Jefferson was right behind him, hand on the door. 

"Think about it," Jefferson told him, "he's better off here."

"Fuck you, Hatter," Clint spat at him, pulling Bucky away. The door closing behind them didn't feel temporary. "That was a bust. How against kidnapping are you, Bucky?"

Regina held her hand up. "We won't need to go that far," she said. "Steve can make the choice for himself."

"Yeah?" Clint scoffed, "and how do you think that's going to work? You said he couldn't remember anything."

"Yes," Regina replied dismissively, "I'm talking about us seeing what headway your friends have made with Morgan le Fay. Hopefully, we can find out how to fix that problem. Then what Jefferson wants will no longer be of any consequence." 

Clint scrubbed his fingers through his hair. "Why are we standing here, then?" 

Regina turned her eyes on Bucky, who was still staring back at the mansion. "Bucky?"

He nodded slightly, forcing himself to turn away. "Let's go."

* * *

Storybrooke's police department was a small building with the main cell taking up half of the main room. 

As soon as they walked in, the room felt packed. Le Fay looked bored from her place on the bench in the cell, back straight like the queen she considered herself to be. Tony and Bruce were sulking at a desk, both looking ready to band their heads against it. Emma had her feet propped up on her own desk, the woman from the school at her side. 

So Bucky was meeting Steve's favorite princess. If only this could give him the same rush of feelings as the pictures of Steve with Snow White from Disneyland. (Clint showed him the photos and Steve had blushed so hard his face should have been a tomato.) 

Emma was the first to look their way. "How'd it go?" 

Regina removed her coat and tugged off her gloves finger by finger. "How do you think it went, Emma?" The blonde met her gaze sternly before Regina sighed. "He's refusing to allow Steve to be handed over." 

Clint, who'd already gone over to Tony and Bruce to show them pictures, looked up. "Dude's a bigger asshole than Tony."

"Gee, Barton, I appreciate the compliment," Tony replied, his eyes squinted down at the phone screen. "Wow." 

Bruce nodded, rubbing his jaw. "Almost exactly alike."

"Please tell me you've gotten le Fay to speak," Regina said.

Snow threw a hard look towards the cell. "Oh, she's talked."

"I thought  _ we _ had a lot of bad guys who liked to spill the beans," Tony muttered. 

"Relaying the inevitable to my future subjects is only stating facts," Morgana announced, unbothered. 

Snow looked at their prisoner thoughtfully. "She sounds a lot like you used to, Regina."

"My delusions were reshaped into reality," Regina countered, "I carved out a reasonably-sized kingdom. She's punching above her station. No wonder Arthur was crowned King of Camelot instead of her." 

Le Fay's eyes flashed in anger. "My brother is a foolish man who doesn't know how to unite his people. Just as the people of this world do not have a proper ruler to unite them yet."

"We've already been there and done that with another arrogant brunet who didn't get his throne and had daddy issues," Tony dismissed. "Just tell us how to fix Captain America and we'll let them send you back to your world."

"Why don't you ask the Queen?" the sorceress sneered. "I took a page out of her book. Got him out of the way well enough." 

"You better know what page she's referring to," Clint said, looking at the brunette. 

Snow White and Emma looked at each other before looking to Regina. "Tell me she didn't go for the obvious one," Snow said. 

Regina appraised the prisoner. "Something tells me that she believed no one would be able to figure it out."

"Figure  _ what _ out?" Tony asked, annoyed.

"True Love's kiss," the women said in unison.

Tony eyed them, then le Fay, before his expression went flat. "I officially hate the existence of this town. And I  _ loathe _ the existence of magic."

Even Bruce looked like he was a shade green and doing his best to hold it in. "It's not always convenient, no," he murmured. 

Emma stood up. "If we've got our answer, then we can take care of this no problem." 

"What about your Mad Hatter who's decided Steve's the new addition to his tea party?" Clint asked.

"Told you, it doesn't matter what he wants. We can break the spell, Steve will be able to choose for himself and leave." 

"And if we don't?"

Everyone fell silent, Morgan being forgotten as they all shifted their gaze to Bucky. 

"Slip of the tongue, right?" Clint asked. "Trying to make a really bad joke? Cuz you gotta work on your modern humor, man."

Bucky scrubbed his metal hand through his hair. "Maybe it's better that he's here." 

"Here we go," Clint groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

"And what," Tony said as he stood, "would make you think leaving Captain America behind--your massively long-term boyfriend, I might add--is better than taking him home?" 

"He's  _ happy _ ," Bucky stressed, even though it hurt him deep in his chest to say it, "he's happy here. He's safe. He's got a chance to have the life he wanted before the war, before Captain America."

Emma looked like she understood. "It sounds like it's a good thing to let someone forget, Bucky, but it's not. The real him, the real things that make him happy, aren't with Jefferson and Grace." 

"They can give him the kind of life I can't anymore," Bucky stated plainly. "It's the life everyone wants. Isn't that right, Barton?"

Clint didn't give anything away in his face but Bucky knew he hit a nerve. "What I've got and what you're thinking of forcing on Cap are two different things." 

"I know the shtick you're trying to pull, Barnes," Tony added, "and it's not worth it. Cap's in love with you, not some storybook character. We've all got our flaws and he's been willing to overlook yours."

Bucky shook his head; he wasn't worth Steve accepting his flaws. He killed too many people, killed  _ Howard _ . He almost killed Steve. This was the best thing. 

"Bucky, was it?" 

He looked up to Snow White standing in front of him. This was a surreal trip that was only adding to how shitty he felt. 

"Yeah," he said, taking a step back from her. 

"You clearly don't think that what's being said changes what you feel," she prompted, and when he gave her a slight nod, she continued, "so I'll say my own piece and we can drop it."

Bucky wanted to get away from this and not hear  _ anything _ .

"True love sounds silly to the people of this world," Snow said, "but for us it means everything. And we know, very well, how much work it is to be able to have it. Your stories of us make happy ever afters sound easy but they aren't. I have fought for mine." She looked back at Emma with a sad smile. "I paid a lot of prices and lost my daughter for a long time. I was forced to live a life without knowing her or my husband. Don't choose to leave him in blissful ignorance when you have the chance to be with him. Jefferson is not the version of you that he's meant to be with." 

Snow White was giving him advice. The things this modern world was giving him. 

"I'm glad someone else knows how to give him a mental kick in the ass," Natasha commented from the doorway.

"Where've you been?" Clint asked.

Emma gave her a knowing look. "I think we can all figure that out." 

Natasha smirked at her, eyes never leaving Bucky. "Well?" she prompted him. "Do you need a physical ass-kicking too? Or are we getting Steve?"

Bucky looked away from her, not able to find the words right away. He used to be the hopeless romantic type who believed in all of this. It was hard to fall back into it after being used and broken for most of a century. 

But he had Snow White standing in front of him urging him to believe Steve is his true love and to fight another version of himself to have him back. 

If Steve is worth giving a happy ending to, then yeah, Bucky can fight his way back to his boyfriend. 

He's had enough with the self-flagellation.

"Let's go," Bucky nodded, joining Natasha at the door. 

"Oh good, I thought we were  _ all  _ going to need to kick your ass," Clint called after him. "I guess we'll just be waiting right here." 

"Good call, Barton," Natasha called back, walking out with Bucky. 

"How was the waitress, Red?" Bucky asked her.

Natasha's smirk came back. "I'm still a lady, Barnes, I'm not going to kiss and tell." 

Bucky fought back a smile. "Plan on seeing her after this?"

"We'll see. Are you going to be an idiot again and talk about leaving Steve here?"

"No."

"Good."

* * *

Bucky was waiting for Jefferson when the man and his daughter came out of the woods. They both carried a basket that looked to be filled with fungi and nuts, giddy smiles on their faces as she ran ahead of him.

Natasha was waiting, perched in the shadows in case of a fight. Bucky didn't need the backup but her presence was appreciated. 

As soon as Jefferson spotted him, the smile dimmed, then slipped into that confident smugness from before. 

"How about you go inside and get these cleaned up for dinner?" he told his daughter.

"Can Steve help me?" Bucky heard her ask. 

Jefferson shook his head. "He's having his art time. Maybe after."

Grace nodded and hurried off inside while Bucky met his double halfway.

"You thought about it," Jefferson said, hands going into the pockets of his coat.

Bucky nodded. "I did." 

Jefferson's smugness faded the longer he looked at Bucky. "You still want to take him."

"I'm going to." This time it was Bucky who got to take the step closer, no longer vulnerable to the surprises or the doubt. "Steve belongs with me here. This is my universe. He's coming home with me."

"Is that so?" Jefferson responded, impassive.

"It is. And I don't care what magic powers you have, I will fight you for him with everything I've got." 

Jefferson observed him, eyes taking in Bucky's position, weighing his words carefully. Then, he smiled. "I was starting to worry you were going to actually let me have him." 

Bucky pulled back, one more unexpected move he was thrown. The man tilted his head, the corners of his smile curling further. "You were--"

"Playing you, yes," he nodded. "I know how universes work, James. I know how  _ we _ work. I had my true love. I didn't fight for her enough. But you still had the chance to fight for yours." 

Jefferson nodded at the house and started walking. Bucky fell in-step with him, shaking it off as best he could. Maybe this was how things were when it came to meeting other versions of ones' self. 

"Thank you," Bucky still ended up saying. "I'm...I'm glad that it was you that was able to look after him like this." 

"You're the one who's supposed to be by his side to do it," Jefferson replied. "Sometimes we have to fight before we think we're ready."

After this, Bucky wasn't letting Steve go on missions without him again. "I'm not losing him again," he assured the Hatter as they stepped inside the house.

Jefferson nodded, taking that as promise enough. "They got Morgan le Fay to talk?"

Bucky grimaced. "True Love's kiss." 

"Figures." Jefferson nodded at the stairs. "He's up there. His studio is the second door on the right."

"What about your daughter?" Bucky asked, his human fingers curling around the railing. It was stupid that his heart was racing when he's loved Steve all of his life. "Won't she miss him?"

Jefferson snorted. "Everyone in Storybrooke is going to miss him. Grace will understand just like they will."

Each step up the stairs was another jolt to Bucky's heart. He could feel Jefferson watching him until he reached the top, and heard the man walk to wherever Grace was.

He stopped at the second door to the right, reminding himself that this Stevie was his, just waiting underneath an old shell. Steve was waiting for him, under memories that Morgan le Fay locked away. 

Steve waited for him to remember and shed the shell of The Winter Soldier. Bucky can do this for him, too. Like all the times he punched the lights out of anyone who thought they were better than Steve Rogers. 

Bucky rapped his knuckles against the door to be polite. He waited until he heard Steve's voice on the other side say, "Come in." Then he pushed the door open.

Jefferson hadn't spared any expense, from the looks of it, when he set up the studio for Steve. There were drawers of paints, an easel in front of a sunny window, tubs with different brushes or clay. In the corner was a sculpting wheel, and Steve was sitting behind it, wet clay staining his hands and cheek. 

Steve looked up from the clay mass between his hands and lifted his foot off the pedal. "Jefferson," he smiled before it flipped into a confused frown. "Those are new clothes."

Bucky glanced down at himself, suddenly self-conscious. The leather jacket, dark jeans, and the henley were certainly different from the forties and especially not the same designer attire the man downstairs clearly liked to wear. But his Steve liked them. 

"Trying something different," he replied with a weak smile.

"Oh." Steve looked him over one more time before a blush dusted his cheeks. "It looks good."

Bucky's smile turned more real at that. He looked at some of the sketches that were around, catching a few unfamiliar landscapes. "I was hoping to talk to you about something, if you don't mind?" 

Steve gave him a nod, "Sure. Could you help me with this first?"

"With...the clay?" Bucky asked, eyeing the pottery wheel. 

"I want to make it a bigger frame for the mug," Steve explained, "but I need a bigger set of hands to do it."

Bucky had only really posed for Steve before when he wanted help with something. This was completely out of his wheelhouse. "Sure," he still said, willing to do anything Steve needed. He grabbed the stool from Steve's easel and took a seat across from the blond. "What do you need me to do."

"Wet your hands, then gently press your hands against the clay," Steve told him, pushing a water bowl closer to the brunet. "Just guide the shape." 

"No promises it'll look good," Bucky replied as Steve pressed down on the pedal again. 

"We'll work on it," Steve smiled.

Bucky took the gentle part seriously when his hands were wet and at the ready. He gradually brought them closer to the lump of clay, until he could feel it brushing against his hands with each pass of the wheel. He paid attention to Steve's face to gauge when the shape was right, bringing his fingers just the slightest bit closer towards the bottom when he needed to make the base right.

"You're doing good," Steve praised, his hands hovering over Bucky's. "Now when you get to the top, just dip your fingertips in to open the inside of the mug."

Bucky did his best, the praise lighting him up inside like the fireworks they used to watch from the rooftops on Steve's birthday. He lightly started pressing his fingers down, and watched as the clay bloomed, parting from his fingertips to create a divot.

"Just like that!" Steve grinned at him and Bucky couldn't help but do the same. "It's perfect." 

"I'm pretty relieved that it didn't blow up in my face," Bucky said, surprised on top of it. Steve removed his foot from the pedal so that he could take a look at the mug but his grin didn't leave. 

"Sometimes it's a luck thing," Steve assured him, looking up from his creation. "Thanks for the help. You said you wanted to talk about something?" 

Bucky nodded slightly, afraid to move away from how close they were; he hadn't realized that he'd been leaning over so much in his focus on the mug. "Yeah, there is." 

Steve waited, looking at him patiently. "What is it?"

"Well," Bucky started, grasping at words, "it's kind of a funny story."

That was honestly as far as he could come up with before Bucky decided to improvise and lean in the rest of the way. The touch of Steve's lips was always magical in his opinion, but it was like this time there was a special light to it. Steve was glowing, and tasted like peppermint mixed with apples, and Bucky couldn't look away as the light wrapped around the blond.

Bucky didn't think he'd ever seen something so incredible.

* * *

The Avengers stood on the other side of the open boundary near the jet while Emma, Regna, and Ruby stood on their side. Steve, now super-sized again and blessingly himself, stayed by Bucky's side, their hands clasped between them. 

"We'll make certain that Morgan le Fay reaches Camelot," Regina promised them. "She's Arthur's problem now that things have been returned to their proper order." 

"That would be great," Tony said on his way up the ramp, "now I'd like to get as far away from this magic-infested town as quickly as possible." 

"Storybrooke is open to all of you," Emma told the rest of them. "We'd love for you to come and visit. Once we have the time problem taken care of." 

Clint shrugged, arms crossed against his chest. "Why not. I bet Wanda would love it here." 

Bruce's smile still looked like a grimace. "I might need a while before the Big Guy is comfortable spending more time around here." 

"That's okay, Bruce," Clint said, patting the man on the back and guiding him away, "we'll get him some incentives."

Ruby met Natasha's eyes with a grin, whipping her hair out of her face. "Maybe I'll see you soon."

"Count on it," the redhead replied, and wow, that was definitely something Bucky wanted more information on. 

"Thank you for the help," Steve told them, free hand rubbing the back of his neck, "I can't say I understand anything of what happened today but I'm grateful." 

"We're gonna miss you, Cap," Emma replied, "but you two are especially welcome here whenever you want." 

Bucky and Steve nodded and stepped back with Natasha to watch as Regina brought the barrier back to a close, Storybrooke disappearing and becoming a facade of the open road once again. 

"Do you think you can explain everything to me?" Steve asked Bucky as they turned away. 

"I can try, Stevie," he shrugged, "but I'm still trying to understand it myself."

"Might be worth taking them up on their offer," Steve mused, then grimaced. "My bike's still a wreck, isn't it?" 

"You can hitch a ride on the jet," Natasha offered.

Steve looked at Bucky before shaking his head. "I think I've already got another ride." 

"Only if you don't have a problem riding helmet-less," Bucky said, shrugging to stop his smile. 

Steve walked over to Bucky's bike, running his hand along the seat. "I think I can manage it, Buck."

"See you back at the Tower then," Natasha said, offering one of her special smiles to Bucky before she went into the jet. 

Steve let Bucky swing his leg over the bike first and get in the position before joining him. Secure arms wrapped around Bucky's waist, and he could feel the press of his boyfriend as a solid presence against his back. 

"Sorry the return home got postponed," Steve said against his ear and Bucky started the engine. 

"The alternative route was pretty worth it, Steve," Bucky assured him, "and I know you'll make it up to me when we get back." 

"Will I?" Steve chuckled. 

Bucky nodded. "Oh yeah, you will. You're not going anywhere else for the next few days." 

"Can't say I have a problem with that," he heard Steve say before he kicked them off and took off down the road.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and Kudos feed my soul, so please leave some!


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